An unexpected bonus of retrofitting a damper to ease the descent of a tailgate is the fact that the installation of a damper, which improves the down-performance, also makes it possible to improve the up-performance when using a torque rod to counterbalance the weight of the tailgate. Design Engineers generally have opted to provide only modest assist for fear that a fully-balanced tailgate, or a tailgate with a stronger lift assist, will kick up and down violently when driving with an open tailgate.